The Steel Guitar Forum

The online Reranchstore lists two Fender colors of nitrocellulose lacquer that look close: Blonde and Butterscotch Blonde. Shown here:
http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/fencuscol.html

Holding my guitar (a '53 long scale Stringmaster) up to the computer screen, the Blonde looks too white and the Butterscotch looks too dark. The website says the Blonde color first appeared in '56 and the Butterscotch Blonde appeared in '52 so I would think that the Butterscotch Blonde would be correct but they appear to be talking about Telecasters and not Stringmasters so who knows? Stewmac also offers a blonde that looks similar to the lighter blonde from Reranch.
I'm primarily interested in touch-up at this point and I should be able to do a certain amount of sanding and blending since it's lacquer. I need to dowel, fill and cover a hole in the front of the guitar and, except for that, I'd like to keep the original finish. Anybody want to offer advice? Erv?
The following is a picture of the outside neck, whose finish is shot but is the same color as the inside necks whose finish looks fine.

Does Reranch offer any tinting pigments? Matching age-faded colors is an art. Factory-correct colors and 60 years old finishes are such different things. But with pigments, it is certainly do-able (easy for me to say---I just retired from 40 years of, among other things, precisely matching colors from scratch.)

Bill,
That looks like the "blonde" finish to me. If you pull one of the tuner pans or one of the control plates off I'd bet the finish looks much lighter in those cavities. Closer to the blonde finish on reranch. Over several decades that finish tends to darken/yellow.

I have re-finished several Fender Stringmasters.
You use the Fender blond and finish up with tinted clear coat. You apply enough tinted clear coat until you achieve the correct about of "aging" you are looking for.
Here is an example:

Thanks for your responses.

Jon,
No, Reranch only provides the loaded cans. I was thinking about getting a couple of bottles of hobby paint and trying different mixes (white and yellow?) but I think most of the Testors paints are enamel and (I assume) wouldn't blend with the lacquer. I might dig around a little more. Here's a transparent yellow lacquer that might be promising:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/alclad-1oz-bo ... -paint-402

Russell,
Surprisingly, the paint in the pickup cavities is the same shade as the outside of the guitar.

Erv,
I'll probably wind up trying what you described. Satin or gloss?

Note the wood grain... the original is a 'TV' finish. Most refins don't get that correct.

That said, I'd tend to go with something flashier... I'd love to have a sunburst finish like the old Fender pedal steels, for one. Or tangerine metal flake kandy-kolored like my Electra-Glide.

My only context here is re: touching up (as you mention) and not a total refinish. So when I think of touch up I think of small brush work. And I think of just trying to make things look a little less distressed than they are. You're not going to get fine results.

Just to present some expanded options, there's this:

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Su ... _Supplies/

If I were doing a whole refinish I'd certainly go with Reranch.

And just some useless information---if I had a full palette of toners to work with, I'd start with white and a tiny bit of sienna. Useless info because who (besides a professional) has got the materials.

I lost my pictures, but my avitar indicates mu love for the Sunburst style. If you go to Utube and call up Leonard Zinn, you will see him playing my guitar at The St. Louis show in the Hawaiian room. Leon

I had this D8 refinished several years ago......

That may not be original, but it sure looks great Howard !!